A Norfolk-Southern train transporting crude oil travels through Port Deposit on tracks that run parallel to the Susquehanna River. At right are homes that overlook the river.

A Norfolk-Southern train transporting crude oil travels through Port Deposit on tracks that run parallel to the Susquehanna River. At right are homes that overlook the river. (Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun)

Crude oil shipments began in recent years in Maryland amid a boom in domestic oil production. The shipments are common knowledge in these towns despite the railroad's best attempts to veil its operations.